Pancreatic Disorders | MedlinePlus

Pancreatic Disorders | MedlinePlus

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• Abdominal CT scan
• Abdominal MRI
• Abdominal tap
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Acute pancreatitis
• Amylase - blood
• Amylase - urine
• Annular pancreas
• D-xylose absorption
• ERCP

Related Health Topics

• Cystic Fibrosis
• Pancreas Transplantation
• Pancreatic Cancer
• Pancreatitis

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Pancreatic Diseases is the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

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New on the MedlinePlus Pancreatic Diseases page:

Lipase Test

07/25/2018 01:54 PM EDT

Source: National Library of Medicine - 

Summary

The pancreas is a gland behind your stomach and in front of your spine. It produces juices that help break down food and hormones that help control blood sugar levels. Problems with the pancreas can lead to many health problems. These include

• Pancreatitis, or inflammation of the pancreas: This happens when digestive enzymes start digesting the pancreas itself
• Pancreatic cancer
• Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder in which thick, sticky mucus can also block tubes in your pancreas

The pancreas also plays a role in diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas no longer make insulin because the body's immune system has attacked them. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas loses the ability to secrete enough insulin in response to meals.

Start Here

• Common Disorders of the Pancreas (National Pancreas Foundation)
• Power of Your Pancreas: Keep Your Digestive Juices Flowing  (National Institutes of Health)Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Amylase Test  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Chymotrypsin Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)Also in Spanish
• Fecal Fat: The Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Gastrin: The Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
•  Lipase Test  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Trypsinogen Test (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)

Treatments and Therapies

• Complementary Pancreatitis Therapies (National Pancreas Foundation)

Living With

• Nutrition Advice and Recipes (National Pancreas Foundation)

Specifics

• Is Hyperinsulinemia a Form of Diabetes? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)Also in Spanish
• Pancreatic Cysts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)Also in Spanish
• Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome  (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: Shwachman-Diamond syndrome  (National Library of Medicine)

Videos and Tutorials

• Diagnosing & Treating Digestive Tract Disorders Endoscopically (BroadcastMed) - Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, 1/15/2009

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pancreatic Diseases  (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Prevalence and factors associated with nonalcoholic fatty pancreas disease and... 
• Article: Fibrin sealants for the prevention of postoperative pancreatic fistula following... 
• Article: A five year CT surveillance of ciliated retroperitoneal foregut cyst... 
• Pancreatic Diseases -- see more articles 

Reference Desk

• What Is the Pancreas? (Johns Hopkins University, Department of Pathology)

Find an Expert

• ASGE: Find a Doctor (American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy)
• Find an Endocrinologist (Hormone Health Network)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 

Patient Handouts

• Acute pancreatitis (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Amylase - blood (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Annular pancreas (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• ERCP (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Lipase test (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Pancreatic pseudocyst (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish